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Tzoumelos
The Empire of Tzoumelon Second Dawn of the Zebra Empire The Empire of Tzoumelos came about when Romanos I Kogerios, despot of Soumelos, claimed the title Autocrat of the Entire East and prime successor of the Tzaraman empire and the lord above all other zebra-riding lords. Of course, Romanos was still the ruler of a small trading city on a murky, forlorn sea, but he was confident that his zebra-riding knights would quickly overwhelm his enemies. He was wrong, and it wasn't until his great-grandson Alexios I Kogerid that the empire of Tzoumelos would enter into prominence on the world stage . The reign of Alexios I Kogerid (1204-1220 Tzaraman calendar) The most august majesty Alexios was never seen as more than a waste of space in his youth. His father, Isaakios IX, had spent his time fathering bastards and squandering the strength of the small empire that his own father and grandfather had managed to carve out from the other Tzaraman successor states and barbarian kingdoms neighboring Tzoumelos. Alexios was blessed by the heavens however, as in the year 1183, when Alexios was only 20 years old, his father was murdered by one of his many bastard children. The twenty-one years between then and the ascension of Alexios I were marked by constant assassinations as the eleven sons of Isaakios IX wiped each other out. Alexios, through sheer cunning, managed to outwit his half-brothers and stand above them, forcing his three surviving brothers to flee the empire in 1203. Alexios' reign was marked by the growth of the capital of Soumelos, the emergence of Tzoumelos onto the world stage as a power of some importance, and the reconquest of the Tzaraman city of Doros by the emperor's armies. However, Alexios' reign was cut short by an enemy of his. To this day it is unclear whether the mastermind behind the emperor's death was an agent of the ratmen, Alexios' brothers, or a peasant of the northern communist nations. However Tzoumelos continues to expand under the wise rule of Alexios' heirs. The Reign of Romanos III Kogerid (1220- ) On his deathbed Alexios made clear his will that his third and most favored son, Romanos, should inherit the throne of Tzoumelon and direct rule over Soumelos. The other two sons, the Prince Alexios and the Prince Skantarios, should be awarded their own demesne. It remains to be seen what direction the three Kogerid brothers shall take the empire in. Military of the Empire The military of the Zebra Empire is, either surprisingly or unsurprisingly, based on the zebra cavalry that is unique to Tzaraman successor states, though there have been reports of Epitian noblemen who have bred zebra warmounts since that kingdom's antiquity. The zebra cavalry are fierce, cannibalistic animals that serve to bring the wrath and glory of the Zebra Empire to the battlefield swiftly and terribly. Noblemen are known to raise many of these majestic beasts, but each noble will only use one as his primary mount while the others exist only to increase the prestige of the noblemen and provide zebra fawnlings for the nobleman's heirs. Imperial Speculations on the origin of the kingdom of Epitia The kingdom of Epitia's origins are not well known in the wider world, being that most people do not take interest in the ethnic foundations of other peoples. The exception to this are the Tzaraman successor states, Tzoumelos in particular. Many high ranking members of the imperial noblity and scholarly communities speculate that the similarities in naming, language and organization of government are inherited from a people closely related to the Tzaraman people. If this connection could be proven, it would lead to no end of support for a grand "Alliance of the brother peoples" within Tzoumelos, though it is unsure if the people of Epitia would be similarly thrilled to find that the land their fabled princess fled from was the same that Tzoumelos claims to be a successor of. Category:Empire Builder 2 Category:Nation